The Individual as Primary and Preeminent Unit of Society

One of the practical outcomes of the Law of Thelema being recognized by humanity at large is the shift in perspective as per what the primary and preeminent unit of society is i.e. the individual and not the family, religious organizations, corporations or government.

The New York Times Book Review recently published a review of Mike Rapport’s THE UNRULY CITY Paris, London and New York in the Age of Revolution, a book who’s basic premise would appear entirely Thelemic. The review notes:

“The American and French revolutions both sprang from a diffusion of forces that had been building in Europe for a century and a half. The ideas at their core are the stuff of libraries full of books and dissertations, but they can be reduced to one grand, clean, simple conviction: that the individual human being has primacy.”

This might beg the question then if the proper role of government is to serve the greatest number of individuals possible or to protect the right of certain individuals to manipulate and exploit the great majority of other individuals.